News Briefs!

Realm Online Giving Click on the Realm icon above to logon to your profile and view your gifts to the Church. Use this link also to make an online offering.

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Please be in prayer for the names on our prayer list

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In 2017, 39 people pledged to give regularly to New Creation. The average pledge was $4320/year ($360/month or $83/week), and they ranged from $26 to $18,000/year. Please join you church family to support New Creation with your tithes and offerings!Pledge cards will be available this Sunday.

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Why ashes on Ash Wednesday?

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the season of Lent. Lent is a time when many Christians prepare for Easter by observing a period of fasting, repentance, moderation and spiritual discipline.

Ash Wednesday emphasizes two themes: our sinfulness before God and our human mortality. The service focuses on both themes, helping us to realize that both have been triumphed through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

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The lectionary text forSunday, February 18, 2018 - Transfiguration of the Lord Sunday.

Genesis 9:8-17

Psalm 25:1-10 (UMH 756)

1 Peter 3:18-22

Mark 1:9-15

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February 14th, 6:30 pm, Ash Wednesday Service

February 18th, 11:30 am, United Methodist Women

February 24th, 10:00 am - 1:00 pm, Black History Month Celebration

February 26th, 6:30 pm, Administrative Council

March 25th - 4:00 pm, Bennett College Choir Concert

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Feb 02 David Arthur

Feb 02 Benjamin Colon-Emeric

Feb 03 Bernice Shuler

Feb 04 John Hill

Feb 05 Verita Murrill

Feb 05 Shannon Dean

Feb 12 Lubertha Buie

Feb 13 Darnell Rawls

Feb 15 Linda Sellers

Feb 24 Selena English

Feb 24 Inez Fisher

Feb 20 Clem Grandy

If you have a birthday in February and it is not listed, please contact the church office.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you for helping us reach our goal of getting Mrs. Pearly Thompson home for the holidays. Because of the generosity of your congregation's hands and wallets, together we raised more that $28,000 which provided for the remodeling and refurnishing of the Thompson home.. At the dedication of her home on the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday, Mrs. Pearly said "I cannot believe what God has done here. You all made a miracle happen." We are grateful to serve alongside you as we witness to the power and love of God in action.Grace and Peace,

Carol Goehrigh, DSJessie Larkins, ADS

Note: New Creation UMC donated $646.00 for this effort.

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Lenten Sacrificial Offering

The Lenten Season is one of the most important seasons in the Christian faith. It is a period of 40 days, starting with Ash Wednesday and ending with Easter Sunday. During this period, Christians around the world participate in a season of penitence, prayers, fasting and self-denial, just as Jesus did when he spent 40 days in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-25 and Luke 4:1-13.

We encourage you to give up at least one lunch a week during Lent, and substitute it for a time of prayer, meditation, or study. Further, your are encouraged to place the funds you would have normally spent on lunch in your Lenten offering box. This will serve as a symbolic sacrificial gift, a reminder of Christ's sacrifice for us.

The funds will be used to support mission. Boxes will be available this Sunday.

Meet the Heroes is a kid-friendly interactive event where children pre-K to 5th grade will be able to meet actors portraying famous "Heroes" in Black History and participate in crafts and activities associated with the Hero’s accomplishments.

WHY:

This event will provide outreach to the families of young elementary aged children. It provides an opportunity to live out three tenants of our mission; reconciliation, hospitality, and justice.

HOW:

We have partnered with the Merck MMD Employee Resource Groups (Merck Interfaith Organization and League of Employees of African Descent) and the local non-profit Book Harvest to provide a one of a kind experience for children within the Durham community. Through the assistance of Volunteers from New Creation, Merck and Book Harvest we will be able to provide a fun educational experience for the Durham Community.

Lent begins this week with Ash Wednesday on February 14. Lent is a time of soul-searching, self-examination, and repentance which prepares us to receive the grace and hope Christ gives through his death and resurrection.

As you walk through the 40 days of Lent, we invite you to join us in sharing a daily Lenten Reflection. A reflection may be a photo, video, quote, poem, or other creative work that you own and reflects your interpretation of the daily word.

Share them on your public social media channel of choice (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) or post on the North Carolina Conference Facebook page. Don’t forget to tag your reflections with #generousnc. Each week we will share highlights from the previous week.

On April 4, 2018, join Bishop Ward and thousands of other Christians from across the country in Washington DC to add your voice to ending racism in our nation.

On that day – the 50th anniversary of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King’s assassination – The United Methodist Church is joining other churches in the United States to rally on the National Mall and launch a multi-year effort to intensify ecumenically our work together toward racial justice.

For those wishing to attend from our conference, transportation will be provided from the NC Conference office in Garner to Washington by motor coach, and hotel accommodations have been secured. Travel dates are April 3-5, 2018. Registration with the conference is open until February 28. Make your plans now! $300 Registration for Double Occupancy; $150.00 for Single Occupancy.